I have enjoyed very much the recent discussions of the various types of
band organs. When I lived in Berkeley, CA I would regularly make a
Sunday pilgrimage up to Tilden Park to watch the merry-go-round and
listen to the organ. There are two in the pavilion. The smaller one
(runs on Saturdays) is in the middle of the carousel and is, I believe,
a North Tonawanda unit. The larger one is outside the carousel. The
facade is about 14 ft wide and eight ft high. The pipes are contained
in a shuttered swell chamber, with percussion on top. All of the pipes
are wooden. It runs off of a double-roll tracker bar frame, appears as
though O-rolls are used, although this installation does not look
original. It sounds great (when it is in tune, not easy in that humid
climate). Does anyone know what this is? I asked the folks that
worked there from time to time and the only authoritative replies (in
that the words sounded right) were that it was a "B & B" from Brooklyn
or a Gavioli or a Gavioli reworked by B & B or some combination of
those alternatives.
A. B. Bonds
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